‘WarGames’ computer used by Matthew Broderick going up for auction

The life of a hacker today is very different from 30 years ago (at least I imagine it is – I’m not a hacker). What once needed a sprawling setup in order to do the most basic functions can now be done on a portable laptop, or even a smartphone.

But that doesn’t make the hacker equipment of 1980s movies any less awesome. And now, you can own a piece of it for yourself. The computer equipment used in the Matthew Broderick-Ally Sheedy film WarGames is up for sale.

Todd Fischer, the man who supplied the hardware for the movie, apparently still owns most of the original setup he put together for WarGames, and is now willing to part with it three decades after the release of the movie.

In WarGames, a young Matthew Broderick plays David Lightman, a computer whiz kid who accidentally finds himself playing a game called Global Thermonuclear War. It turns out to be the means for controlling real weaponry, pitting the United States against the Soviet Union. All of this is controlled from his bedroom on his IMSAI 8080 microcomputer – the very same one Fisher still owns.

According to IT World, who reached out to Fischer for information on the hardware, the setup includes an IMSAI IKB-1 intelligent keyboard and an IMSAI 212A modem. In the film, it also included a IMSAI FDC-2 dual 8-inch floppy drive, but it was unfortunately damaged in shipping after being used in the film.

Fisher has decided it’s time for him to part ways with the gear, although he hasn’t put it up formally for sale anywhere.

“The package will include all provenance, hardware, and promotional items including posters and lobby cards that I received from MGM at the time,” Fisher told IT World.

He says he’s leaning towards selling the package in an auction house, something that nearly happened two years prior. The props were scheduled to be auctioned off at the famed Christie’s in London, but Fisher cancelled over fears that the hardware, valued at $25,000 at that time, would be damaged in shipping.

Personally, I’ve always been more partial to Sneakerswhich came almost a decade later in the genre, but owning a piece of early hacker movie history is cool no matter where it’s from. Those interested in owning this particular item from WarGames can contact Fisher directly at trf@imsai.net.